France, Australia, Others Reiterate Opposition to Death Penalty In Nigeria.

By Caroline Ameh

In a united stance against capital punishment, France, Australia, and Avocats Sans Frontieres France used the occasion of World Day Against Death Penalty 2023 to underscore their unwavering opposition to the death penalty in Nigeria and globally.

Speaking at the event held on Tuesday in Abuja, the Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, emphasized the significance of this day, noting that since its inception in 2002, France consistently advocates for the universal abolition of the death penalty in various international forums.

Blatmann pointed out that, regrettably, 53 countries worldwide, including Nigeria, still permit the death penalty. She expressed her commitment to raising awareness about this issue and diversifying efforts to ultimately eradicate the practice both in Nigeria and around the world.

In 2022, Amnesty International reported 2,016 death sentences in 52 countries, accompanied by at least 883 executions in 20 nations. This marked a disheartening 53 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Leann Johnston, Charge D’ Affaires of the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, echoed Blatmann’s sentiments. Australia unequivocally opposes the death penalty for all individuals in all circumstances and staunchly supports its universal abolition.

Johnston highlighted the grim reality that approximately 3,300 death row inmates in Nigeria live with the constant specter of this sentence, affecting not only their lives but also their families.

Although Nigeria’s last execution took place in 2016, Johnston urged the Nigerian government to take the critical step of implementing an official moratorium on executions and moving toward the formal abolition of the death penalty.

ASF France country director, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, also known as Lawyers Without Borders, France, emphasized that the death penalty neither serves as a deterrent to crime nor offers the possibility of rehabilitation. Furthermore, it remains an irreversible form of punishment, particularly when miscarriages of justice occur.

Uzoma-Iwuchukwu highlighted a recent case in which a Nigerian police officer, Drambi Vandi, was sentenced to death by hanging for the 2022 killing of Lagos-based lawyer Bolanle Raheem on Christmas Day.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, described the death penalty as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Represented by Felix Ota-Okojie, the secretary of the Federal Justice Reform Coordinating Committee at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Fagbemi noted that the death penalty continues to be a subject of intense debate, fueling emotions both in Nigeria and around the world.